Should have believed harder
by Vault Of Fanfiction
Summary: This has been a long project, originally started in 2012 when I was in vocational school and was to become a chef. It never was my dream but I wasn't accepted to any other school. And three years later I graduated. It was hard but valiantly I went to school every day, minus the sick days. Anyway, I'm still a huge Parappa fan and I'm glad to finally be able to upload this oneshot.


It was dark when I woke up from my deep sleep. I heard something, and soon understood what had woken me up. The phone was ringing, and no one was there to answer it. It just kept going and going until finally I managed to get up and make my way to the phone. And as I answered, I didn't yet have any clue about what was going to happen next.  
\- Hello..?  
I said, tiredly rubbing my eyes with my free hand. Who on earth could be calling at this hour? The unknown caller was saying something about a restaurant and I had trouble keeping up with him. I didn't even know where he'd gotten this number. Maybe he'd heard about my reputation as a devoted and hardworking youth. I was so tired that I barely said anything, just stood there and listened. Occasionally I mumbled something that could be taken as a affirmative response. After some more time the call finally ended, and I was on my way back to bed. I almost fell back to sleep before my head even made contact with the pillows. I didn't really understand it at that moment, thanks to my tired state, but I'd just promised to take care of some local, busy restaurant for the very next day, starting right around 8 am. I was unable to panic and just slept like a baby.

The panic really did set in as I woke up the next morning. I woke up right around 7.30 so I didn't have much time to get ready. I suddenly remembered everything about the call in clear detail, and because I'd promised to be there right at 8 am, I was already in a hurry and the day had barely started. I threw my nightcap off and dashed into the bathroom. From there I hurried back to my room and changed my clothes. Everything happened so unbelievably fast and I didn't even have time to eat breakfast. And on the very next moment I was already on my way.

I ran as fast as I only could and as I arrived, I was fashionably late. Only for five minutes, but I didn't feel good about it. I was waiting to meet with the staff or something, but there was no one there. Instead waiting for me was a long list of things and instructions on how to do things. As I grabbed the list and started reading, my eyes grew wide. There was so much to read! Get the tables ready, do food preparations, greet the customers, cook and serve the food, do the dishes, clean up the place... I suddenly felt very faint and I didn't understand half of the things I read. There was some restaurant terminology I'd never even heard of. I'd gotten used to eating at a local fast food restaurant which was quite different from this place. This was.. scarily spotless and fancy. Everything had its own place. But I didn't feel at home in here. Still, I didn't have the nerve to call it quits before I'd even started. I never gave up.. but right now I really wanted to.

I was still taking my time just looking around the place when I heard a lively chime from the front door. Someone had come in, my first customers most likely. And so I hurried to see about them. Taking the first two orders was easy, so was cooking to order.. For the most part anyway, because, I'm not gonna lie, there were a few hiccups. But eventually the customers got what they wanted. And I still had a genuine smile on my face, at least for the moment. But not too long after that everything started to take another turn. More and more customers kept coming in, one after another. And there I was, taking care of things alone, running back and forth, taking orders, cooking food, seeing about the dishes.. orders, food, dishes, run, Parappa, run. Starter, main course, dessert. Repeat and never miss the beat. Think about the customers, don't drag your feet, go go go.. Be nice and friendly. All the instructions were playing cat and mouse in my head, but as even more customers kept coming in to eat, I started to realize something. Soon I would be in trouble, despite my very best efforts to take care of everything. And the worst was yet to come.

About two hours later the restaurant was almost empty, and the remaining customers were almost done eating and getting ready to leave, and so I was back in the kitchen loading up the dishwasher. I was so tired and my legs were hurting.. Not to mention that I hadn't eaten anything today and it didn't even cross my mind to grab a bite to eat. Any which way, I didn't feel too good. But then I heard that chime again and went to see how I could serve my newest customer, forcing my most convincing smile on my face. The guy sitting in the table was.. I don't know, an adult, that's the best way I could describe him. He looked just like someone who visits restaurants like this very regularly and says away from fastfood restaurants which I in turn frequented. He also looked really strict and, in a sense, very scary. Not someone to be messed with. And so I quickly took his order and escaped back into the kitchen. But as I took another look at his order, I gulped. I just about knew what a soufflé was, but I'd never tasted one, let alone actually made one. I had no idea how to do it and I didn't see any cookbooks anywhere. Maybe the actual staff was so good and talented that they didn't need any. There was no one I could call and ask, either, and the scary customer was waiting for his food. I needed help but by now it was just him and me in here and I could never have enough courage to go and ask how to make him his food. And so I nervously started screwing up around the kitchen, trying my very best to cook up even a decent soufflé. But whatever I made, looked absolutely horrible. I threw it into the oven anyway, knowing that by now I was done for, especially because my customer had already yelled at me and demanded that he get his food. I knew I had already wasted too much time on this, and as I finally took the monstrosity of a soufflé out of the oven, I burned my hand because I tried to be as quick as possible. That wasn't my biggest problem, though, because the dish wasn't a pretty sight.

I took it with me anyway and started approaching the impatient gentleman and.. as soon as he saw what I'd come up with, he grew even more angry. And the things he said at me, weren't nice to listen to. A child like me should never have been given the huge responsibility of running a restaurant. And maybe he was right. But after he'd gotten up and left I felt absolutely horrible, that's for sure. The one good thing in this mental breakdown was that no one else was around to see it, for now I was alone. I went back to the kitchen which was just as spotless as it had been when I first stepped into it. But I was dirty, hungry, tired and on the verge of actually crying. I had tried my best, I had believed that I could be able to do it. But now I knew that I should have believed much, much harder. Now I couldn't do it anymore.

In the middle of my breakdown I heard the door open once more.  
"Oh no! Not again, please!"  
I whimpered, and heard some familiar voices getting closer to my position.  
"Parappa, are you in here?"  
It was Katy's voice. And Sunny was with her.  
"Is everything okay?"  
"No!"  
I yelled but very quickly corrected myself while hiding behind the counter.  
"Yes! Don't come in here!"  
"Don't be silly, Parappa,"  
Katy said.  
"We're your friends and we want to know how you're doing."  
My friends quite obviously weren't convinced.  
"Alright.."  
I sighed because I knew that I couldn't stop them from coming in. Katy would climb over the counter if she had to.  
"Just don't ask me to cook you anything. I can't do it."  
They heard how defeated I sounded and walked right into the kitchen only to see what a mess I was.  
"Wow, Parappa, you look awful!"  
Katy blurted out.  
"Thanks. No need to rub it in."  
I looked miserable, unnaturally so.  
"Can we go somewhere else to eat? I haven't had anything this whole day.."  
I explained to others, and just then my stomach let out a loud growl.  
"How are you even still standing?"  
both Katy and Sunny wondered.  
"I don't know.. I tried to not think about how hungry I was."  
"Oh, Parappa.. How about some burgers, soda and maybe ice cream?"  
Upon hearing Katy's suggestion my eyes began to shine. No other answer was needed.  
"I'd.. need a change of clothes, though,"  
I then said, looking at myself.

After a quick pit stop at home we were on our way. I was hungrier than ever and soon we had sat down and were waiting for our food. I was just telling others about my day, with all of its ups and downs. Mostly the downs.  
"I didn't believe I could do it all on my own,"  
I admitted to them.  
"What? You didn't believe?"  
Katy asked, looking straight at me.  
"No.. I mean, I did at first, but towards the end it all was just too much. You guys showed up right when I was at my lowest point. And I know that I was trying to turn you away, but.. now I'm just glad that you didn't leave."  
"Do you really think we'd just turned around and left you alone with your problems?"  
Katy wanted to know, looking serious.  
"No.. I really guess not."

Today had been an experience, for sure. One that I won't be forgetting in a long time. And the next time someone asks me to do something as big as this, I'm going to at least bring a friend with me. I sure learned that today.


End file.
